PN’s Balicasag

PN’s Balicasag

I wonder how many readers know that the Philippine Navy (PN) is the legal owner of Balicasag Island, the tourism jewel of Panglao, and that all the current residents on the island are essentially ‘informal settlers’ who have no land rights there whatsoever!

Despite this fact, the community there operates within a Purok like any other in Bohol. Here it is included within Bgy. Poblacion, Panglao receiving full recognition from the DILG and COMELEC.

Anyone visiting the Island today will see that, over
decades, the Island’s inhabitants have asserted their presence by acquiring not
only their own Church but also an Elementary School and a Panglao LGU-operated
Health Center. Despite these realities
however, the Philippine Navy is still in-charge or is this really so?

ADVERTISEMENT

Strange though all this may seem, the reason for this is
historical.

During the Pre-Independence period, the American Administration selected Balicasag to be a lighthouse island along with many others situated along all the major shipping lanes within the nation. Just a cursory glance at any map of the Visayas will show you that Balicasag is of course on one of the principal shipping routes going into and out of Cebu, the busiest port in the Philippines.

All those years ago, the Americans financed both lighthouse
construction, as well as the Navy personnel needed to run it.

Today, the ruins of
the original local materials Navy building remain next to the current
state-of-the-art Balicasag Lighthouse.
This is a steel structure with a battery-powered light which is
re-charged daily using solar panels. Its
Lighthouse Keeper, however, is from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which
took over all lighthouse operations nationally from the PN in 1967.

The Philippine Navy is still there today though, but only
operates a small outpost which trains divers and monitors shipping movements in
the nearby Straits.

In addition to the PN, PCG and PnglaoLGU, there is also a
fourth important government entity heavily involved with Island operations.

ADVERTISEMENT

During the Marcos
era, the then Philippine Tourism Authority (now TIEZA), built and operated the
Balicasag Island Dive Resort (BIDR).
Today its Manager there is perhaps the most influential official on the
Island.

ADVERTISEMENT

Change, however, is perhaps on the horizon for them as the
BIDR it will soon be upgraded and managed by a private sector operator.

Despite the fact that all four managing entities are from
the public sector, governance on Balicasag has always been problematic. Theoretically PN should be in-charge, but its
Unit there is headed up only by a non-commissioned officer (NCO) who has little
or no authority either within the PN or within the Island community.

At the same time, both PanglaoLGU and TIEZA have a watching
presence’ of most of Island life. With such confusion, it is not surprising
therefore that development there over the past decades has been uncontrolled
and that the enforcement of almost any lawand/or ordinance at best proves to be
‘difficult’.

ADVERTISEMENT

So what can be done about this? I know that the tourist business community
within Panglao remains concerned about the matter. Almost all of us believe that the local
government sector should be in charge.

Just imagine if this
such a change happened, wouldn’t the Province and the Municipality allocate
more funds for Balicasag services and developments? Balicasag urgently needs a
100% owner/controller if it is to survive present human onslaughts and hopefully
develop true sustainability!!

ADVERTISEMENT

Given that the PN,PCG, Panglao LGU and TIEZA have not been
able to resolve the leadership issues between them, should this not be the
mandate of the Provincial Government to step in and rationalize the situation
once and for all?

Frustratingly, this topic is not new!. The Panglao dive shop operators and tourism
NGOs have constantly pushed for such a change for at least a decade. To my enormous surprise though, just
recently I was told by a senior official/legislator that the private sector
NGOswere lobbying on the wrong
track!!

New legislation of the type needed here apparently has to be
formulated in relation to grassroots needs…, that is through the people’s own
councils. Apparently any first steps must eventually come through the Bohol
Province Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), which itself can pass motions
requesting new Republic Act legislation within Congress.

So NGOs, fellow residents and politicians within of Panglao,
please help! Let’s raise this issue seriously with central government officials
and Congresspersons! Please let’s get the matter on the SP ‘Urgent Agenda’
asap.

I know that an eventual outcome is unlikely to materialize
within the present three-year terms of existing elected representatives, but don’t
let this be a reason for procrastinating. Of course a change of legal
responsibility for the Island will not totally transform the situation, but I
am sure it would produce areally significant percentage improvement!